Gigi Hadid has just arrived at the Met Gala (or the 'Wet Gala', its nickname on social media because of torrential downpours in New York). The supermodel, who recently celebrated turning 30, was snapped on the red carpet outside The Carlyle Hotel - and her look proved that, as well as entering a new decade, her style has similarly matured.
Masterminded by mega-stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Hadid wore custom-made Miu Miu, a liquid-gold, halter-neck gown that, paired with an elegantly curled up 'do reminiscent of the 1940s, marks one of her most sophisticated appearances at the Met Gala, whose theme for 2025 is Superfine: Tailored Black Style.
The gown pays tribute to Zelda Wynn Valdes, the famous costumier who made outfits for legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker and Joyce Bryant. Speaking to Vogue Australia, Hadid said: 'It is a celebration and homage to Miss Zelda Wynn Valdes, who was a fashion designer in the late '40s. She grew up working in her uncle's men's tailoring shop, and really brought that to her own dressmaking shop in Washington Heights. She really took the art of tailoring that she learned and applied it to the female form.'
Hadid might only be 30, but the model has attended not once, not twice but an impressive 10 times. That's a whole decade of Met Galas.
For 2024's Met Gala, where the night's theme was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, Hadid riffed on a big-day dress with a corseted white gown, flecked with yellow roses and edged with a black ribbon, by Thom Browne. (Her 2024 Met Gala beauty look was similarly demure, like her dress, with a curled bob and flushed red cheeks.)
Her outfit in 2022, meanwhile, spoke to her status as a twenty-something fashion darling with a red-hot ensemble by Versace. It was a look that contained multitudes, from the latex corset to the wet-look leggings to the quilted coat with trumpet sleeves that took up space and then some. Although it was fabulous with a capital F, there was a lot going on. This year's gown, by contrast, allows the dress and its wearer do the talking.
In 2019, Hadid metamorphosed yet again, arriving in space-age suiting by Michael Kors Collection. It was a look that transformed on the red (or, in this case, pink) carpet, the fringed coat falling away to reveal an intricately beaded catsuit, but, again, it was a get-up that, although fabulous and fittingly extra, didn't necessarily project an elevated version of personal style.
This year's ensemble, on the other hand, feels like the real deal, Hadid's sense of style but spiked with the kind of high-octane, movie-start glamour that is perfectly suited to the red carpet of the Met Gala, as well as speaking to the theme. Bravo.
Natalie Hammond is senior fashion news editor at Grazia. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).